Annexation Task Force

A presentation of the Annexation Task Force Report will take place on Tuesday December 5, 2017 at the City Council Informational meeting which begins at 4 p.m. at Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West Tenth Street.

A Task Force has been formed to address various issues surrounding annexation. When the city’s boundaries begin to engulf a property that is not annexed, and does not plan to annex, there are challenges that result from that.

The goal of the Annexation Task Force is to make recommendations regarding the following questions.

Under what circumstances should the City move forward with a city-initiated annexation?

What criteria will be used to prioritize the annexation of those properties deemed to be annexed under the city-initiated process?

Will the City move forward with a petitioned annexation request if the annexation requested creates a pocket of unannexed land within the city limits?

What infrastructure design standards will be required as annexation occurs?

What financial contribution will the city make towards any required infrastructure improvements due to a city-initiated annexation?

ANNEXATION TASK FORCE MEETING TOPICS

Topic #1 – Annexation law and the requirements and limitations imposed by those laws.Topic #2 – The history of city-initiated annexations including the design standards the property owners were held to.Topic #3 – A review of all unannexed property within the city that is currently completely surround by annexed land and the amount of development that exists on the surrounding land.Topic #4 – A review of all recently completed CIP projects or CIP projects programmed in the near future that are adjacent to unannexed property or directly impact unannexed property.Topic #5 – Assessment law, the rights of the city, and the rights of the property owners.Topic #6 – The financial impact of annexation on a property owner including property tax changes, financial benefits, and the cost of infrastructure improvements.Topic #7 – The impact on the property owners and the community if Engineering Design Standards are lowered in order in an effort to get unannexed property annexed. Review current ADA requirements.Topic #8 – The impact on development if limitations are imposed on property owners wanting to annex land but a pocket of unannexed property is created by that annexation. Examples to be provided.Topic #9 – How often should the established annexation criteria be reevaluated and by whom?Topic #10 – Notification and Communication Process